The first pic. is what my kokeshi collection looked like a couple of years ago...
The top row has a samurai, an Ainu man, a madonna & child, a princess, a mother & son (my first ever purchase & the reason I fell in love with kokeshi) and an unconventional babysitter carrying a baby in a pouch.
In the middle is a Hina (girl's day) emperor & empress pair with a couple of snow children on the left & a more conventional babysitter on the right. On the bottom row is an ogre (I think he's an "oni") and the mum & dad of my nesting kokeshi, followed by a mini boy/girl pair with the baby nesters in front of them. The seven lucky gods are in front of the circular stand.

The third pic. has purchases from the last couple of years (most of them from 1950s still...); a pair of paint pots with brush heads, "dolls of the world" (Russian? soldier, cowboy & cowgirl and below them a Greek? lady), second row starts with a Tengu then a pair of Kabuki Theatre Lion Dancers with angry faces. There's a mini Ejiko (baby in a basket) on the bottom row. In the front are a Grandpa & Grandma pair with hand painted waterfall & crane, a "kissing kokeshi" triplet (magnets in heads so that girl attracts one guy & repels the other - interesting to note that therefore also the 2 guys "kiss" too!) and finally an Elizabethan-styled kokeshi in a ruff (the ruff rotates).

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Comments

AmberRose, 4 years agoWow these are really great. So interesting. So diverse. Mine are soly finds and enjoyment. You obviously know a whole more! Love the round shelves too

japanfanbev, 4 years agoThanks Amber,
I remember being taken to a flea market in Japan about 9 1/2 years ago and finding my first few kokeshi - I've had the bug for collecting them ever since. Needed to specialise a bit, otherwise it might've got out of hand, so I decided I liked the detailed hand painting and varied styles of nodders from 1950s-ish... Am trying to limit what I buy to a couple of purchases per year, just adding genres that I haven't already got represented.
Hope you made some good flea market sales at the weekend!
Bev

japanfanbev, 4 years agoPS. The round wooden stand/shelves were bought in Japan (from a shop selling Asian Arts) they had miniature teapots etc on display on theirs. I believe they are Chinese.
I was looking for a second one - have seen a couple for sale on uk eBay, but those imported from China have feedback that the packaging is so bad that they're in a terrible state when they arrive.

LuvKokeshi, 4 years agoHi Bev, It's Nancy. I found you....lol I sent you an email. Love your collection!!!

japanfanbev, 4 years agoThanks Nancy. Glad you looked me up! Have just added a pair of bookends to the collection. Trying not to add anything more until I get my own place!